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1.
In today's New York Times, an article entitled "A Few Blocks, 4 Years, 52,000 Police Stops"
In a high-crime area in NYC police are using what I'd call a proactive approach -- they're stopping a lot of people. ACLU doesn't necessarily think it's so great -- that's their job.
What they're (police) trying to do is provide security before crime happens instead of cleaning up the blood and bodies afterwards. I think most of us would be in favor of that -- the only thing is, it gets intimidating for people who live there because it's like the police are after everybody.
To keep the effort from becoming (or being perceived as) oppressive, police should simply use each "stop" event -- as an opportunity to interact with the individual in a positive way -- not only making sure, no weapons, no drugs, and you're not drinking anything that smells funny, but also then ask the person what's going on in the neighborhood, and converse about something positive. Like -- did your team win last weekend? Or, Are you going to the concert next week? Whatever.
(Some people might scoff at this idea and say, "Oh right, make it like a nice little social event"... but they CAN. And it's not a stupid idea; it's a good idea. Adding civility to any interaction not only disarms or prevents negative results or attitudes, but also builds positive results which can expand and last. Plus the police would receive a lot of useful information.)
Every time they stop somebody, they should check them, as they're already doing, and also interact with them in a positive way; it's a networking opportunity.
2. "Governors Voice Grave Concerns on Immigration" is another article on N.Y. Times page today -- national governors' conference -- concern about immigration and also about Arizona's immigration law.
a) That law sounds to me like one which is similar to our state's "term limits" law in that it's an expression of somewhat unfocused anger. Laws based on that always are scary, to me.
b) And I'm wondering, were any large business interests invited to that governors' meeting to discuss their dependence on, and demand for, cheap labor?
c) Did the attending governors bring information regarding who is lawn-mowing, gardening, and nannying at their house, and at the houses of their financial donors, and just how "green" their cards are?
3.
On the weekend, I was listening to the "Eat A Peach" album by the Allman Brothers (Man, 1972! I could hardly believe it was from that long ago.) And I've been puzzled ever since I purchased this album (on CD) just a few years ago, as to why every single song on it is so incredibly familiar to me -- I'm always like, "How do I know all this music??" I never owned the album before -- Saturday while I was cleaning and listening, I decided I must have heard every cut from this LP more than once on WBCN, the radio station I was tuned to for five years -- four in college, one more to stay and work. They played "album rock" -- in other words, not just songs which were put out as "singles."
That's all I can figure out. That's the only place where I could have been exposed to every last one of these songs so that they each sound just as familiar as any church hymn that I once knew but then didn't hear for a while.
I never listen to the radio anymore -- too many commercials, too much dead air (from letting stuff play from satellites instead of having people there to manage it) and nothing for me to connect to. (Except one -- some guys I know have a show on Saturday nights and I do listen to that, because it's them, because they have good music (it expands my taste), & because want to improve my Spanish.)
But when I was in school, I had the radio on every day, I think.
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